Common Cent$ ECM - November 2009
COMMON CENT$ ECM Issue 2
November, 2009
Publisher: Imaging 411
Contact at: commoncents@imaging411.com
THAT MAKE$ CENT$ - "HOW DO I CHOOSE A MAINTENANCE PLAN?"
by: Gary Armstrong
Last month we spoke about WHY you need a maintenance contract, now this month I
will help you choose the plan that best suits your needs and budget.
The best way to choose is to look at the four- (4) “C’s” of a maintenance plan.
1) Conditions- Response times, either 4 hour same day or 8 hour next business
day (NBD). NBD is the best value if you have multiple machines or your scanner
is not mission critical, but pay the extra for 4 hour response if you can’t be without
your scanner too long. What is the cancellation policy, am I locked in for the term
or is there an out clause? Cancellation clause should be no more than 30 days
written notice. Can I purchase loaner protection or additional training? You should
look for those option ala carte as they are cheaper just to add only what you need.
Software is usually not covered unless specified, and always read the fine print.
2) Cleanings- Always insist on at least one- (1) PM (Preventive maintenance)
cleaning/visit per year with any contract you choose. If you will be using your scanner
heavily, pay extra for 2-4 cleanings per year and schedule them in advance so you
insure your maintenance provider performs them when you require it.
3) Consumables- Every basic service contract EXCLUDES consumable parts (feed
rollers, lamps, glass guides) However, you can select a contract that includes one or
two sets per year. Unless you buy consumable parts in bulk, it is a good value to take
the contract with consumables included as you will insure you have one on hand when
needed and the provider usually includes the consumables at a good price.
4) Cost- Usually the most important and deciding factor for some customers, so the
way to manage the cost is to select only the items that have value to you. Do not pay
extra for 4 hour same day response if you do not require it. If you have consumables
on hand, take the contract that does not include them. Check the number of PM
Cleanings and ask for the amount you feel comfortable including. Look for Ala carte
menus to add in loaner protection and user training only if you need it. Another good
tip is to ask for multiple year pricing, as it usually comes with a bigger discount and
you do not have to pay it all up front. Ask for monthly billing options so you can hold
on to your cash as long as possible.
Next month I will discuss 3rd party service providers and why they are valuable partners.
SCANNER TRADERS DEAL OF THE MONTH
Bell & Howell 8140DCI Spectrum XF Demo Units: $14,995 (Limited Quantities)
The 8140DCI is the workhorse of the industry and Scanner Traders was able to secure
the entire demo inventory from Bell & Howell for our customers.
Call 888-411-1397 or visit http://www.scannertraders.com to order.
$HARE THE WEALTH - SHOULD YOU UPGRADE TO WINDOWS 7?
by: Joe Paradiso
Most of you probably remember all the hype Microsoft generated with the
release of Vista in January 2007, and their marketing campaigns that tried
to convince us that Vista really wasn’t as bad as we thought. Vista was
painfully slow, had numerous compatibility problems and its overly intrusive
User Account Control (UAC) forced most users to turn the security feature off
leaving their PC’s vulnerable to attack. The IT community rebelled against
Vista and refused to install it in their offices which forced Microsoft to
continue to sell and support XP much longer than they had intended to.
Windows 7 promises to be what Vista was supposed to be and more or maybe
less depending on how you view it. Early testing has shown that Windows 7
is faster and more responsive than Vista and Microsoft also seems to have
resolved the compatibility problems that plagued Vista.
Are there enough benefits to warrant an upgrade? The feedback on Windows 7
has been very positive, and since XP is no longer available for sale, IT Managers
will have to consider Windows 7 at some point. Here’s a quick list of new
features that might help the decision.
1) Minimal Hardware Requirements – Typically every new Microsoft OS
demanded more memory, disk space and processing power to fully utilize.
Windows 7 actually runs faster than Vista and has the same system
requirements, allowing it to run even on netbooks.
2) More ECM Friendly – with ECM solutions requiring the storage of audio
and video along with digital images, spreadsheets and word documents
users will benefit from the improvements made to Media Player 12.
3) Configurable User Account Control – Administrators can tune UAC to
protect users PC’s without the invasive prompts and alerts found in Vista.
4) Library Concept – Windows 7 allows users to specify a list of directories
to be bundled together into a “Library” that can then be shared or managed
with other directories using one click access.
5) Improved Touch Support - Multi-touch support has been added to Windows
7 so that all the cool things that people can do on their iPhone are possible
with a touch capable PC such as swiping to scroll and using two fingers to
enlarge or reduce a window or image.
If you’re running Vista, then upgrading is a pretty simple task, as you have the
option of installing Windows 7 fresh or upgrading. Upgrading eliminates the need to
re-install all of your applications which could save you a lot of time compared to the
fresh installation. XP users will be forced to perform a new installation of Windows 7
and re-install of all their applications and hardware devices.
Most hardware running under Vista and XP should work under Windows 7, but some
devices may have problems or at least require new drivers. To assist users, Microsoft
provides free downloadable software on their website
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/get/upgrade-advisor.aspx
to test your PC, installed devices and applications for compatibility issues. At the end
of the test, a report is generated that details any compatibility problems that were
found and should be addressed prior to migrating to Windows 7.
I plan to do more testing on my personal PC before upgrading the office PC’s but so far,
other than expense I haven’t found a reason not to upgrade which was definitely not
the case with Vista.
TIGHT ON CASH? CONSIDER A PRE-OWNED CERTIFIED SCANNER
Looking to add scanning capacity to your operation but don't want to pay the
price for a new scanner, consider pre-owned. Scanner Traders certifies all
of their used scanners and offers a 90 day warranty.
Just visit http://www.scannertraders.com
Imaging 411, The Document Capture Company is a leading provider of document
capture and management products. Give us a call at 866-411-4624 and schedule
a free consultation with one of our Electronic Content Management consultants
or e-mail to sales@imaging411.com
(c) 2009 All Rights Reserved - Imaging 411 Inc
THAT MAKE$ CENT$: "CAN YOU AFFORD NOT TO?"
by: Andy Schreck
Is your company still paper based? If so, your storage and retrieval of business or
customer related documents probably goes something like this: Documents are
sorted by filing clerks and arranged for filing. The clerks then go to the filing
cabinets lining the file room, pull out relevant folders and file the sorted documents
in these folders (hopefully the right ones). When a document is required, a request
is sent to the filing room. A filing clerk then identifies the particular filing cabinet
folder and document location, goes to the cabinet, pulls out the folder and locates
the document. The folder or the requested document is then sent to the requester.
When the requester is done with the document, it is again sent to the filing room
and the re-filing process is repeated. The time spent on these activities is very
significant and the process is typically uncontrolled and insecure. This process takes
personnel, time, salaries, cabinets, prime space and delivery. These costs can
prove to be very significant and have a large impact on the bottom line.
If your current costs of business include managing and supporting a paper based
filing system or if the time for filing and retrieving your documents is effecting
turnaround time for business or customer related tasks, then you should strongly
consider document imaging capture and electronic content management.
Companies that try to persist with paper-based content management, or even poorly
implemented document capture systems, are likely to lose competitive edge in the
market and maintain higher document management costs. Paper-based systems are
typically slow, unsecure, subject to damage and degradation, nearly impossible to
recreate if lost or damaged, lead to poor productivity and are comparatively expensive
(as opposed to electronic content management). It is in this context that document
imaging solutions are becoming standard practice among companies ranging in size
from small start ups to very large enterprises.
Electronic content is retrievable, distributable, secure, confidential and safe. Electronic
backup is easily achieved making recovery and re-creation of documents possible.
Personnel, storage space, delivery and duplication costs are decreased. Filing, retrieving
and collaborating on documents is achievable in seconds. Turnaround and response
times
for business and customer related tasks are greatly reduced.
The Bottom Line: Speedier business processes, better-informed business decisions,
lower costs, improved security, disaster recovery and distributed accessibility and
collaboration all contribute to better business results, higher satisfaction for customers
and employees and an improved bottom line for your company.
Consider some of these factors as well and the impact they can have on your business
process and bottom line:
Produce a quality image - These days, document scanners and imaging software can
produce images that are better than the originals in legibility and appearance. An
Illegible document is about as good as no document at all.
Find the document you need - A misfiled document is likely to never be found in a
large paper based filing room. You can search millions of files in seconds in an electronic
based filing system. In a legal or business related matter, a lost document could be
costing you very big bucks.
Increase turnaround time – Having an electronic copy of a file or document at your
fingertips sure beats waiting minutes or hours to get that file. You can address matters
at hand now rather than later when you finally get a hold of the file.
Improve customer satisfaction – Customers, clients, colleagues, management, business
partners, auditors, attorneys! They will all benefit with higher satisfaction, better results
and a more pleasurable experience when you can address their needs now and not have
to ‘get back to them’. That’s a good thing and keeps people coming back for more business.
Reduce processing and filing costs – Less personnel = lower cost. Less manual filing and
space = lower cost. Less processing time = lower cost. Less paper = lower cost. Less
lost
documents = lower cost. Get the picture?
Enhance security and compliance – Do you want your paper originals getting damaged,
faded, lost or in the wrong hands?
Automate your workflow –No more piles of paper on the desk or an overflowing inbox.
Know where a document is, how long it has been there, tracking and statistics. All doable
with document imaging capture and electronic content management.
These are some examples of how the implementation of a document imaging system can
help improve business process and have a positive effect on your bottom line.
Again, pose the question: “Can We Afford Not To?”
Next month’s issue will discuss what to look for in choosing a document capture system.
$UPER $AVER OF THE MONTH
Especially in a tough economy businesses look to reduce costs. A good start
is switching to Imaging 411 for your scanner maintenance. Imaging 411 will
reduce the cost of your current maintenance contracts up to 35% of what you're
currently paying. Call 866-411-4624 or e-mails sales@imaging411.com
$END U$ YOUR QUESTION$
Have a question you'd like one of our writers to answer?
Send us an e-mail at commoncents@imaging411.com. If your question is selected
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CENT$IBLE ECM: PRO's and CON's OF OUTSOURCING YOUR CONVERSION
by: Chris Stanley
A company has a small project to convert 3000 pages or so that is needed in a database or
spreadsheet – just a typical document scanning project that seems easy, right? The
approach;
just turn on the scanner, scan pages, OCR (optical character recognition) using
an OCR
software package, and an hour later, presto! If only it was that easy. Most who try
this
approach end up with overall bad image quality leading to poor results. This can be
attributed
to the lack of experience and/or inferior equipment. In the end, the project ends
up consuming
more time than expected and thus affects the overall business process.
Document scanning is more than simplicity at its best; it’s truly a science. It takes a specialist
with the knowledge, expertise and skill to turn that simple process into a workable solution.
Outsourcing is about matching needed skills to the project at hand. Every organization has
limits on its resources, especially in this challenging economic environment. By outsourcing
document scanning requirements, companies save time, effort, and money; allowing them to
dedicate valuable employee time to higher value business functions. Outsourcing these
projects to a document scanning service that has the staff, equipment, expertise, and
experience to produce exactly the results companies require makes business sense. It
ensures
that a company’s core business does not get sidetracked and the scanning project
is
completed on time, in budget and satisfies company goals. Document scanning service
providers produce high quality results while improving overall business processes for companies.
Document scanning services are a very affordable business solution. Many businesses find
that
outsourcing their document scanning is more efficient. The expenditure in time and effort
of trying
to process these projects in-house is usually greater than anticipated. Having the work
done by
well-equipped professionals with expertise in document scanning conversion,
management and
the over all process is quite cost-effective. By outsourcing document scanning
service projects
you gain access to world-class capabilities and resources. Going high tech without
the extensive investment in equipment, highly trained technicians and expensive software gives you the
competitive advantage and helps avoid the cost of ever-changing technology.
Most businesses today outsource many of their non-core business processes and now have time
and money to spend on marketing, R&D, etc. If you are looking for ways to reduce costs and
focus
on your core business, consider outsourcing solutions that meet your business needs.
Many
organizations are now realizing the benefits of outsourcing their document scanning projects.
By outsourcing scanning projects, businesses achieve a balance of good value and quality results.
Document scanning service provides an economic solution to many business needs. If you're
interested in out-sourcing your conversion work, we can provide you with a number of companies
in your area to contact.
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866-411-4624
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888-411-1397
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